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Other voices on Hebdo attack

Sat., Jan. 10, 2015

Re: New front opened in the war on ideas, Jan. 8

New front opened in the war on ideas, Jan. 8

Tony Burman appears to attribute the cowardly, horrifying massacre in Paris to fires that are “still burning” as a result of the “massive overreaction” to the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States that killed 3,000 innocent civilians in 2001. He seems to forget, among many other horrifying atrocities, the rampage three years ago, involving tens of thousands of people, resulting in hundreds if not thousands of buildings being destroyed (and a 65-year-old-cleric killed), specifically in response to a few cartoons — deemed “offensive to Islam” — published in a Danish newspaper.

I am just returned from a trip to the southern United States. There are religious views held in many regions down there that, to say the least, would be a source of amusement and curiosity to many Canadians. And and in lockstep response, politicians of all stripes fervently wave their bibles around so as to assure the good citizens that they’re on board with this, and that salvation is near. But nobody shoots up a newspaper office just because that paper may happen to satirize these beliefs.

It is one thing to venerate the Prophet Mohammed; it is quite another to gun down innocent people. Tony Burman’s column is absurd. Any reasoned observer would call this tragedy what it is — a slaughter based on fanaticism and hatred.

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Alan Rosenberg, Toronto

I’ve not been surprised to note the hypocrisy of Canada’s mainstream media in trumpeting the virtues of the satirical press. Prior to the recent killings at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo; Canada’s satirical press has been marginalized, belittled and ignored by pundits from corporate titans like Astral, Thompson and Bell Media.

Without diminishing the import of the twelve French journalists killed by people described as Islamic terrorists; mainstream media portrayals of French victimhood are misleading and devoid of historical perspective. While mention has been made of France’s extensive military contribution to the African sphere of the ongoing "War on Terror"; it should also be noted that France has a long and lingering history of brutal atrocities in Africa, Indochina and the Caribbean.

In Haiti's case; France has consistently refused to pay reparations for the wealth drained from its' most profitable former colony. While France begrudging offered citizenship to many of its colonial subjects in the post-World War Two era; centuries of abuse should not be minimized and citizenship will not return native wealth to Haiti, Algeria, or Vietnam. Once again, ordinary people pay with their lives for the callous refusal among Western governments to accept or even acknowledge the consequences of military and corporate excesses in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Morgan Duchesney, Ottawa

The people who committed this week’s attack on Charlie Hebdo, and those Muslim clerics who support and condone such attacks, are committing crimes against humanity and against their own Muslim community. The Islam that was taught by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is completely contrary to the Islam being showcased by these extremists who attack in its name.

These extremist Muslims need to understand that fighting is only permitted in Islam for self-defense. That was the only context in which Muslims at the time of Prophet Muhammad were commanded to pick up the sword, and it was merely for the sake of defending their freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. We are no longer living in a time where Islam is being attacked by the sword.

Jihad has to be waged with the pen against attacks of the pen. This is the Jihad which our Muslim Community has been waging to show the true honor of Prophet Muhammad. “The Astonishing Story of the Prophet” which showed the peaceful teachings of Islam, in which hundreds of non-Muslims were invited all across Canada. This was the Ahmadiyya Muslim response to the attacks Charlie Hedbo made on Muhammad via cartoons. Killing innocent people has only shown the savageness of these perpetrators and the barbaric beliefs of the clerics who incite them. All they have done is incited further animosity between Islam and the West.

Imam Hanan Ahmer Sobhi, Hamilton

The events at Charlie Hebdo were shocking. Journalists and lay members of the public have shown solidarity with the journalists of Charlie Hebdo by holding up the “Je suis Charlie” placards. The sheer volume of people taking part in these acts of solidarity has been tremendous.

The deaths in Paris take place at a time when some divisions in society are increasing- yes, between peoples of different faiths (and none), but also between richer and poorer, between the older and the younger, between indigenous populations and newer migrants composed of a variety of colours, languages and creeds. Europe finds itself in a tinderbox- the last week has seen demonstrations by PEGIDA, killings by people claiming to act for Islam, bombings and burning of mosques, and much else.

The principles of the French Republic are summarised in the slogan- Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. There has been much talk about the first two, but what Europe and the wider world need now is an emphasis on the third; we must as humans (whether we consider ourselves creations of one God (or many), or the rational conclusions of a blind evolutionary process) show humanity, and rise to be worthy of the acclaim we have granted ourselves.

We have been asked to show solidarity with those who died this week. Let us extend this idea further- let us show solidarity, and with it benevolence and restraint, to all participants of society. Society can become stronger, but it will be tested before it becomes so; and for it to do so, it needs effort. Or we can allow society to erode and fracture; and that requires good people to do nothing at all.

There will be a clamour from some portions of society to show ‘strength’ and solidarity in a particular way- by publishing offensive imagery and cartoons. I urge journalists and editors to not do so. There is no doubt that we live in a society in which there is freedom of expression, but freedom of expression does not entail that there is a necessity of expression. We are already in a cycle of despair and hatred; we do not need to accelerate it artificially and deliberately. For those journalists and editors who are inclined to publish cartoons (of any subject matter), I urge them to engage in dialogue with those whom publishing will affect, and understand what the effects of doing so are. Of course, dialogue requires a common language, hence those with whom such a dialogue will be undertaken need to sought out- not the roughnecks, but the calm, quiet voices of wisdom, which exist in every community.

Fraternité implies that we see others as having moral value; not that we see them as inferior, as the Other. It is very easy to slip into the monochromatic narrative that We are this, and They are that; that the killings in Paris were the outcome of a simple set of characteristics of alien people. The world is Technicolor- we simplify what we do not understand, or do not want to understand in moments of anger, and we overlook the wider world that has created those who live in it- the economic, political, technological, and yes cultural and religious factors, all stretched and distorted through a thousand prisms of history. To heal, we need to understand; to heal we must restrain our hate; to heal we must be human.

Dr. Mobasher Choudhary, Northampton, United Kingdom

The terrorist outrage in Paris has rightly been condemned by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. They know their duty and have done it. It stole not just lives in France but also took another increment of our collective freedom.

Other losses, and costs to be paid, are more difficult to tabulate but are nevertheless huge. These include the price of our fears, and the loss of optimism that stifles growth and progress.

What is also appalling is the relative silence by Liberal party Leader Justin Trudeau. Like the Boston Marathon bombing his only instinct is to do some sociology and look for root causes. Effectively he saw those perpetrators as victims instead of evil-doers. He continues to do the same in this instance.

Trudeau works on the continuum of collaboration, ranging from inappropriate silence, to vacuous excuse making, and on to validation by another name.

If given real power the result is going to be a continuing harvest of pools of blood and heaps of shattered bones on these shores too.

Brian Beckett, Nepean

Hamid Slimi, imam at Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga, uses words that are at the very heart of the mad reasoning of religious zealots. He describes the drawings of Charlie Hebdo as “unworthy-of-attention immoral drawings.” He does say that using violence is wrong only because it is “more disgusting and insulting to Islam.” It would appear to be a fine line between a murderous rampage in the name of Islam and satire that mocks it!

Hamid Slimi listen to your own words and the words of those who commit such terrible acts against innocent people. They are the same. This, hopefully, is not your intent. This, though, is and end result of such vitriol against free speech by those who hate.

Michael Foley, Toronto

Sadly, it is a religion we are up against and not simply a race. Religions are much better organized than races.

Keep in mind that from 1939 to 1945, we and many others fought all of Germany and all of Japan, not just those Germans and Japanese who happened to agree with Mr. Hitler or the Emperor.

If it were not so, how can we explain the fates of whole cities like Dresden and Hiroshima? Peaceful, freedom-respecting people everywhere, no matter their race, and especially Muslims should worry greatly about what is done in the name of Islam and hope that Muslims can put their house in order before it is too late.

In this war, there will be no place for Neville Chamberlains.

Patrick Cowan, North York

I am an agnostic, one who doesn’t believe in the divisive and manipulative nature of organized religion but does believe in a creator, whether it be a he, she, it or they. None of know for sure.

We have come to believe only what male dominated , controlled and manipulative teachings they have long ago decided, much of which made women 2nd class followers. I have often said in our world today, the two greatest scourges to befall mankind are religion and politics. Do not confuse them with Spirituality and Government , they are NOT the same.

I feel an apology is needed to the real Muslim community, for some, “tarring and feathering” them with the same disdain for the EXTREMIST ELEMENT in their midst. I am glad to hear their leadership speaking out loudly as they have yesterday, to condemn these terrorist extremists. They need to do more of this, to distance themselves from these evil terrorists. Christians have the same problem to a lesser degree with southern Baptist “bible thumpers” like the Westboro church and the hatred they spew.

These Muslim extremists, with the hatred they show for people who have freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom to poke satirical fun at politicians, religion or whatever topical things make news. They envy what we have, FREEDOMS, rather than the negativity and hate they wrap themselves in.

You see, these cowards are NOT Islam, they are not Muslims, they are outcasts who will never see their beloved Allah or Mohammed. You have created 12 new Martyrs for us, and your actions only inspire us to show you, that we don’t fear you, we won’t hide from you, we are better than you, and you will NEVER erode the freedoms of speech, association, and ability to control our lives through policies of our democratically elected politicians. We are free, we love, we prosper, we progress from antiquated male dominated , manipulation, opinion and directives these wackos so wickedly create and misconstrue from your scriptures. You will never be at the side of your Prophet because you are NOT Islam, Muslims, or worthy. You are Cowards. The pen is mightier than the sword. Freedom is mightier than anything YOU believe in.

Ronald G. Smith, Toronto

What does it actually mean to enjoy freedom of expression in the country where you live your life? In a general sense it means that the state - or the church - will not punish you for speaking your mind. It means that in most Western democratic countries in 2015 you will not suffer the same fate that Socrates and Galileo did in their times but you are out of luck if you are a member of Pussy Riot in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

There are limits to freedom of expression of course. You cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater. You cannot as a journalist knowingly and repeatedly publish lies about another person, as Sun Media crank Ezra Levant recently discovered after losing a libel case in court. You cannot make sexist comments on Facebook with impunity if you are a Dalhousie University dentistry student. The law and/or various institutions provide consequences to some forms of expression.

You can express yourself freely in other ways only to find they are also not consequence free. For example, it is unwise if your are a white comedian to use the “n” word in an attempt to shout down an African American heckler, as Michael Richards quickly found out a few years back. Charlie Sheen lost his gig as one of the highest paid actors in television history, not for his drug problems, but for his public rants aimed at his boss Chuck Lorre. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

“I would rather die standing than live on my knees”, Charlie Hebdo editor Stéphane Charbonnier was quoted in Le Monde in 2012. This principle would seem rather noble if we were learning about a man who had risen up against tyranny in the French Revolution or who had fought in La Résistance during the Nazi occupation.

However, in reading about the practices at Charlie Hebdo over the years it seems that they deliberately offended people or groups of people simply because they felt like it and further that they believed they were “free” to do so with absolutely no limits. To paraphrase René Descartes, “I provoke, therefore I am” appeared to be their maxim.

Many of the cartoons Charbonnier and others died for were childish in thought, lazy in rendition and in the end hardly worth the trouble. And if you have any doubt about this last assertion, ask yourself why your favourite news outlets in any medium - with the exception of The National Post, perhaps - have been avoiding re-publishing or re-broadcasting the most offensive cartoons in question.

In writing this letter I have freely expressed myself. There may be those who disapprove of what I have said here, but I certainly do not expect two police officers - like the ones in Paris - to defend to the death my right to have said it. If you insist on poking the bear then you must always remember this fact: the bear just might rip your heart out. C’est la vie.

Trevor Amon, Victoria, B.C.

Waking up to another story about so called Muslims wreaking havoc, and then having to clarify that these extremists do not represent us - despite sitting thousands of miles away - seems to have become a routine for not only me, but millions of Muslims around the world.

In this latest edition of radicals disguising themselves with the cloak of Islam, 12 journalists were killed for merely doing there job as satirical artists.

And I’ll be quite honest, when the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad were made back in 2011, I was bothered to say the least. But as an Ahmadi Muslim, I knew that my response should not be to pick up a gun and seek vengeance; rather, it should be to remain steadfast and pray. God says in the Holy Quran “And the servants of the gracious God are those who walk on the Earth in a dignified manner, and when the ignorant address them, they say ‘Peace!’”.

The Prophet Muhammad forgave and set free the very same people, who had relentlessly persecuted him, oppressed him, and killed his loved ones. Fast forward 1400 years, and the followers of that same man slay cartoonists, in his name, because of a rotten attempt at satirical comedy. Talk about distortion.

Akbar Ali, Calgary

It is never excusable to kill another person, and fundamentalists in all religions are rigid, disapproving, and often filled with hatred.

(Charlie Hebdo shooting: “Terrorist attack” sparks massive manhunt) But I would like to make four points:

1. Satirizing politicians, or even the Pope, is not the same as

satirizing Mohammed. For politicians, satire has to be expected, and the Pope is also a part of our western culture that embraces satire.

Comedians and satirists are always pushing the limits of what’s acceptable, and sometimes their jabs at the Pope or politicians go too far. Then the satirists feel the sting of public opinion or a lawsuit.

Europeans and North Americans might learn something if they bothered to enquire about the perceived rigidity of Muslim views about the treatment of Mohammed.

2. The French, more than other countries, have been resentful of Muslims, being quick to send troops into conflict against perceived Muslim country threats, passing laws that outlaw facial coverings, and allowing North African immigrants to become isolated and segregated in France.

3. Are not the U.S. drone killings in Pakistan a kind of terrorism?

Were not the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan perceived there by the British, the Russians, then by the U.S. and by us, as terrorism? How do Palestinian Muslims feel about Israelis encroaching on their lands?

What about European meddling in and dominance of North Africa and the Middle East for the past few hundred years? We’re surprised that Muslims are angry, but there’s a long history of European invasion, going back to the Crusades.

4. Not too many years ago, Nelson Mandela was regarded as a terrorist by some; the ANC did have a military wing. Yesterday’s terrorist is not infrequently today’s respected national leader. The overall point is, we must have a dialogue with people who don’t like us, including angry Muslims. It needs to happen. Eventually it will, but how many more thousands will die first? There can never be enough security people to protect us from even a few determined people who have bombs and automatic weapons.

Douglas Buck, Toronto

It’s outrageous for any Muslim to deny another their God-given right of free expression, when Allah Himself, advises us in the Qur’an to think and reflect.

The newspaper gunmen in Paris are the real enemies of Islam and the true evil. May Allah bless the innocent souls who have been senselessly murdered and give patience to their grieving families.

Sehmina Jaffer Chopra, Salisbury, MD

As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the attack on Charlie Hebdo which has claimed the lives of a dozen individuals in Paris. This event occurred just a few months after the tragic killing of our Canadian soldiers, Patrice Vincent and Nathan Cirillo. The wounds of that tragedy had still not healed and now we had to hear about this tragic event in Paris.

The leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad states, “Islam is completely against compulsion and extremism; rather, it advocates peace and harmony at all levels of society.” I hope and pray that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Paris are brought to Justice and may the bereaved families of the victims find solace.

Luqman Ahmad, Mississauga

My heart truly goes out to the people of Paris. They have now joined the fraternity of places where Islam has shown its ugly face once more.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called this an “abominable act” not just because it targeted innocent people but because it represented “an attack on freedom of speech and the press, core elements of our free democratic culture.”

This should not surprise anyone. Despite the inevitable cries from left-wing, politically-correct nutjobs that this was ‘not truly representative of Islam’ one but needs to look at how Islamic societies are structured to see the lie in this.

Islamic societies are oppressive and do not allow the kinds of freedom of speech and expression we have here. They no more allow people to criticize their founding ‘prophet’, Mohammed, than they allow women to walk around a beach in a bikini. Since they cannot force our judicial systems to prevent criticism of their faith, they resort to the one thing they can do; terrorize people into submission.

In this they are acting no differently that Nazi Germany’s Gestapo or the Soviet Union’s KGB. We, in the west, long recognized that such societies are evil and incompatible with progressive western values. How much longer before we, likewise, realize that those who follow Islam are the same?

Hassen Chalghoumi, imam of the Drancy mosque in Paris, following the attack, said he was “extremely angry.” He called the perpetrators “criminals, barbarians” who “have sold their soul to hell.” “This is not freedom,” he added.

In all this, Mr. Chalghoumi is perfectly right. He then went on to say that “This is not Islam.” Sadly, on this point, we must disagree, despite what he and many left-wing, politically-correct nutjobs want to believe.

Steven Eleftheriadis, Toronto

Today’s well planned terrorist attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’; a controversial newspaper in Paris is sad, shocking and regrettable. People of all religious denomination across the globe will strongly condemn it sharing the grief and sorrow of the French nation.

At the moment, it is premature to say who is behind the attack but based on past history of ‘Charlie Hebdo’, Islamic extremist group, is speculated to be behind this unprecedented barbaric attach as those killed in the attack, include the Editor in-chief and the 3 cartoonists, presumably responsible for desecrating prophet of Islam by publishing objectionable material in the past under freedom of speech.

How France and the world would react to this tragedy is questionable, but the victim of this attack would be French Muslims and Muslims around the world who are law-abiding and peaceful people, trying to live in peace and harmony with other faith groups and Islam has nothing to do with this kind of heinous crime that defame them and their faith. Islam is a religion and not a doctrine of extremist ideology as generally being perceived.

The current Islam phobia emerging in some part of Europe and flux of Muslim migrants is of concern to many. I hope this won’t create a backlash of religious orientation.

We all can contribute effectively in avoiding extremism if we do not exceed the boundary of freedom of speech, fulfill responsibilities and respect each other. I condemn the attack hoping to learn from this 9/11 of France.

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